If fine, luxury living in the epicenter of Austin’s booming, downtown area is your idea of the perfect home then Brazos Place may be just right for you.

Located at 8th and Brazos, Brazos Place is in the heart of Austin’s central business district, which means that fine dining, world class shopping and an endless array of entertainment and recreation are just steps away.

The residences of Brazos Place feature either one or two bedrooms and floor plans range from 622 square feet to over 1,400 square feet.

Prices range from the mid $200,000s to the low $500,000s.

These luxury residences offer high-end amenities, such as a rooftop terrace, a state-of-the-art fitness center, covered parking, valet services and a 24-hour concierge service.

Within the units of Brazos Place, residents enjoy a fine array of luxury amenities, including:

· Polished, concrete floors
· Private balconies (some units)
· Designer light fixtures
· Individually controlled heating and cooling systems
· Center island
· Stainless steel kitchen appliances
· Large windows with spectacular views
· Walk-in closets
· Onsite property management

The penthouse unit for Brazos Place is now available. This stunning residence offers up to four bedrooms, one study, three, private, rooftop terraces and an awe-inspiring, 360-degree view of downtown Austin.

Even the lobby of Brazos Place is full of convenience and luxury, with a cafe, convenience store, business space and a fine jewelry store being located there.

The developer for Brazos Place is PRS Development, which is the real estate development division of PRS Equities Limited.

Today’s tough housing market can chew you up and spit you out if you don’t come prepared.

Finding the right price for your Austin home may prove to be challenging in today’s market, as many sellers are grappling with what they feel their homes are worth and what they know the market will bear.

Is there a middle ground?

The answer is both yes and no. Yes, because you do not need to price your house far below other comparable homes to sell it, and no, because you can’t expect to sell your house if you don’t remain competitive.

The first order of business when determining a fair price for your Austin home is to get a comprehensive listing of all listed properties and sold properties in your area over the last three to six months. Your Realtor will likely do this for you, although it doesn’t hurt to perform some research on your end, either.

As you research listing prices and final selling prices of other area homes, closely scrutinize their home in relation to yours regarding lot size, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, square footage and amenities, such as a fireplace or an updated kitchen.

Also, pay close attention to the difference between the listing price and the sales price, and how long the home sat on the market, as this can give you a good idea what you can ultimately expect to get for your home.

Once you have a solid idea of what you can safely price your house at (using your research and your home’s appraised value), remember that today’s market is inundated with a large inventory of homes, so pricing it to sell should be your goal.

Pricing it high in hopes of snagging that “perfect” buyer is often a complete waste of time, that is of course, unless you have a lot of time to spare.

The key to selling your Austin home is to generate interest from the beginning, and pricing your home competitively will likely do just that

If you examine the property foreclosures in Central Texas, it may occur to you that the housing market there is in dire straits.

The numbers are quite staggering, in fact. Foreclosures for the combined counties of Travis, Hays, Williamson and Bastrop were 9,008 this year, which means that property foreclosures were up nearly 27 percent from just last year. Even the foreclosure rates of 2004 (during the technology industry downturn) were about four percent less than they were this year.

Thankfully, upon the receipt of this news, analysts are still optimistic about Central Texas’s housing market. Amazingly enough, even the high foreclosure rates in Texas haven’t had a huge effect regarding the home values in the area.

One of the reasons Austin’s residential real estate market continues to remain healthy is because the home values never become overly inflated like they did in other areas of the country, such as California, Florida and Nevada. In fact, the number of foreclosures in Austin is microscopic compared to the number of paying mortgages.

Many analysts also see signs of a peak in foreclosures, although it will take the better part of next year to really see the numbers begin to decrease. Some positive signs include the fact that major lenders in the area are now making more of an effort to renegotiate home loans.

Other areas of Texas appear to be experiencing the same surge in foreclosures. The Dallas-Fort Worth area had a record of 50,000 foreclosures this year, which was a 17 percent jump from 2007. The 10,300 foreclosures in Bexar County are also a record amount.

Most foreclosures appear to be from homes costing less than $200,000, although there have been some examples of high-end properties (costing more than $1 million) going into foreclosure.

Selling your Austin or central Austin home is somewhat of an art. Plunking down the “for sale” sign in the front yard is often just the beginning of preparing your home for showings and open houses.

Although your castle is exactly the way you always imagined it would be, down to the last print hanging on the wall, you must remember that your taste may not be the same as that of your potential buyers. In other words, an overly personalized home may detract from the home itself and may make it difficult for buyers to imagine themselves in your home.

Removing overly personal items from the home will give buyers the opportunity to notice the home and all of its great features, which will hopefully translate into a quick sale for you!

The following tips will guide you when neutralizing your palette:

• Remove most of the photographs – Your wall of family photographs may be your pride and joy, but to buyers they are nothing more than a distraction. Although keeping a select, few pictures makes the house feel warm and homey, an overload of photos looks cluttered and overly personal.

• Remove any collections – Your collection of shot glasses from Disneyworld may look great across the mantel in your living room, but to potential buyers they just look like clutter. This is a great time to carefully pack away all of your knick knacks, collections and mementos in preparation for your move.

• Toys, toys everywhere! – Your children’s toys can make your buyers feel like your living room is more of a toy store than a living space. It is important that your buyers immediately notice a room’s best features when they enter, instead of being bombarded with large, plastic toys in every corner. Find a storage spot for your kids’ toys and make a point to clean them up and put them away before showings.

• Don’t take it personally – Putting your ego and feelings aside when selling your home can be difficult, and for good reason.

Your home is your pride and joy and perhaps most of all, your showplace for all of your important pictures, photos and memorabilia. But this isn’t a time to be showing off your treasures. Pack them up and take them with you to display in your new home and instead tone down your rooms and make them neutral enough that potential buyers can imagine themselves in your home!

Tucked away among the rolling hills of Texas Hill Country are the new home communities of Highpointe Premier and Highpointe Classic.

Wide, Open Spaces

Located just 25 miles from downtown Austin and all of its opportunities and excitement, and in the town of Dripping Springs, also known as the “Gateway to Hill Country,” these gated, master-planned communities are located on 740 acres and consist of several neighborhoods of single-family homes.

The neighborhoods of Highpointe Premier and Highpointe Classic are linked together by a series of parks, playgrounds, open space and five miles of trails. Whether you enjoy a leisurely walk around the community or a brisk, morning jog, the scenic trails of Highpointe Premier and Highpointe Classic can accommodate your lifestyle.

Community Amenities

There truly is something for everyone at Highpointe Premier and Highpointe Classic!

Highpointe Premier and Highpointe Classic include:

• An amenity center with a two-story fitness center with an aerobics studio and two levels of workout equipment, including free weights, machines, stationery bikes and treadmills
• Meeting rooms with wireless internet service
• An aquatic center with three swimming pools, including a junior Olympic-sized pool and a kiddie pool
• Plenty of parks and playgrounds throughout

An excellent education can be found at nearby Dripping Springs Elementary School, which was recognized by the State of Texas as “Exemplary” – one of only 13 schools to receive such an honor.

Home Features

Quality construction and workmanship abound throughout the homes of Highpointe Premier and Highpointe Classic. Some of the features include maple cabinets, premium GE Profile appliances and luxury bathrooms and kitchens.

The homes of Highpointe Premier and Highpointe Classic feature up to four bedrooms and three and a half bathrooms. Home prices in Highpointe Premier begin at $239,990 and prices begin at $345,990 for homes in Highpointe Classic.

Watch this space for important information about Real Estate Rebates in the Austin Area.